Combine harvester

ABSTRACT

This invention refers to a combine harvester with a rotor housing which is positioned in a lengthwise direction and with an inclined angle towards the horizontal line inside of the combine. To arrange the rotor housing in a favorable way inside of the combine harvester, it is suggested to use a feeder house which comprises elements which distribute harvested material from the cutterbar in an up and rearward direction towards its discharge end, said discharge end being arranged in a height substantially above of the rotational axis of the front wheels and in a region before the rotational axis of the front wheels, the discharge end feeds the harvested material into the feeding opening of the rotor housing of the separation unit being arranged in the upper half of it, whereby the rotor housing reaches with its front from a region before the rotational axis of the front wheels and a lower third of the height of the combine harvester to its rear being arranged in the top rear half portion of the combine harvester.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority of PCT Application No.PCT/EP02/00682 filed 24 Jan. 2002 and which named the United States as adesignated country. PCT Application PCT/EP02/00682 was published on 26Sep. 2002 as Publication No. WO 02/074062 A1 and claims priority ofprior Foreign Application No. 0106730.5 filed in Great Britain on 19Mar. 2001.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a combine harvester with aseparation unit comprising a rotary driven separation rotor arranged ina rotor housing with a feeding zone where harvested material is fed intothe rotor housing, a separation zone with sieve means arranged in therotor housing, of said separation zone, a discharge zone which islocated at the discharge end of the rotor housing and a sucking blowerunit which sucks an air flow stream at least through the sieve meansinto the separation zone and the discharge zone, and a grain collectingelement arranged in some distance towards the sieve means, all arrangedsuch that a part of the air flow stream is sucked into the separationzone from the space between the sieve means and the grain collecting,element, the rotor housing containing, the separation rotor beingarranged in the combine harvester in a way that the longitudinal axis ofthe rotor housing and the separation rotor is erected by an angle ofmore than 30 degrees from its front end to its discharge end.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0003] Such a separation unit is known from PCT/US 97/02432. However,that separation unit disclosed in the cited reference has commerciallybeen available only as a pull-type combine harvester with just one axlewhich needs to be towed and driven by a tractor. The cutterbar has beenattached to the side of the separation unit, and the harvested materialhas been fed into the rotor housing, from the side. To be able to raisethe performance level which can be achieved with the functionalprinciples of such separation unit technology it is desirous tointegrate such a separation unit into a self-propelled combine. Due tothe fact that for a proper function of such a separation unit thelongitudinal axis of the rotor housing, and the separation rotor needsto be erected by an angle of more than 30 degrees from its front end toits discharge end, such a separation unit is difficult to integrate intothe known concepts of self-propelled rotary combines.

[0004] The harvested material needs to be lifted up by a feeder houseand transported through the gap defined by the front axle or acrosswisely arranged beam of the machine frame at the bottom, the frontwheels at the side and the driver's platform at the top. The bottom ofthis gap is usually positioned approximately above the lowest third ofthe height of the combine. In conventional rotary combine harvesters,the threshing and separation rotors are arranged horizontally so thatthey can project from a space in the gap above the front axle over thefull length of the combine up to the discharge zone at the rear. Anexample for such an arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,024.If the separation unit disclosed in the cited reference should beadapted into such a combine respectively, the harvested material needsto be distributed from the bottom into the rotor housing, which usuallymakes additional feeding elements necessary, and due to the fact thatthe lower feeding zone is already arranged approximately in the secondthird of the total height of the combine harvester, the total possiblelength of the rotor housing which needs to be arranged in an erectedposition in the combine is limited, which also limits the separationperformance of the separation unit.

[0005] A similar arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,419. Theseparation rotor housing is slightly inclined towards the rear, however,the rotor only projects into a space above the front axle and isrespectively short. A very long feeder house is attached to the front ofthe combine harvester to lift the harvested material upwards to be ableto feed it into the rotor housing from above. The disadvantage of suchan arrangement is that the feeder house cannot be designed rigid enoughto be able to carry cutterbars with working widths and weights as theyare commonly used today.

[0006] According to an arrangement known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,802 athreshing drum could be arranged in the gap between the front axle andthe driver's platform, and from the discharge end of the threshing drumthe harvested material is fed from above into the feeding zone of arotary separation unit which is arranged at a lower height as thethreshing drum inside of the combine. With such an arrangement, the pathof the harvested material through the combine needs to be deviatedseveral times, which costs energy and might cause clogging underdifficult circumstances. A similar arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 4,408,618.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is the object of the present invention to arrange a separationunit as known from prior art in a self-propelled combine harvester in afavorable way which avoids the disadvantages known from arrangementsdisclosed in prior art.

[0008] The objects and advantages of the invention are accomplished by afeeder house which comprises elements which distribute harvestedmaterial from the cutterbar in an up-and rearward direction towards itsdischarge end, said discharge end being arranged in a heightsubstantially above of the rotational axis of the front wheels and in aregion before the rotational axis of the front wheels, the discharge endfeeds the harvested material into the feeding opening of the rotorhousing of the separation unit being arranged in the upper half of it,whereby the rotor housing reaches with its front from a region beforethe rotational axis of the front wheels and a lower third of the heightof the combine harvester to its rear being arranged in the top rear halfportion of the combine harvester.

[0009] With such an arrangement it is possible to achieve a high lengthof the rotor housing with a high potential performance of the separationfunction. The tools inside of the rotor housing may be designed lessaggressively because due to the extended length of the separation rotorthe time the harvested material remains inside of the rotor housing isalso extended. This reduces kernel breakage and the straw may be lessdamaged, which also reduces specific energy consumption of theseparation process. The technical term “separation unit” does not meanthat the function inside of the separation unit is strictly limited to aseparation function only, in fact it may be advantageous if threshingelements are arranged inside of the rotor housing, and also theseparation rotor may be equipped with threshing tools enabling it tobring a threshing action upon the harvested material fed through therotor housing. By such an arrangement special elements for a threshingaction, such as a separate threshing drum with a concave, can be saved.The terms “front, “rear,” “behind” are to be understood in rotation tothe lengthwise direction of the combine harvester, seen in the forwarddriving direction of the combine harvester. Rear portion of the combineharvester means a region which is in the upper third to half of theheight of the combine, and which is above or behind the rotational axisof the rear wheels of the combine harvester. The high discharge end ofthe rotor housing means that there is ample of space for spreading thedischarged straw and other fractions from the separation and cleaningprocess sideward and backward over the working width of the combineharvester, even if there are straw choppers or chaff spreadersintegrated in the process.

[0010] Due to the fact that the rotor housing and separation unit isinclined by more than 30 degrees, it is possible to arrange therotational axis of the front wheels, the front axle and also the frontcrosswise beam of the frame of the combine harvester behind the lowerfront of the rotor housing and underneath of it. Also brakes andgearboxes can be arranged under a medium section of the rotor housing.For such an arrangement it is advantageous if there are no concaves,sieves or the like at least in the first fifth of the length of therotor housing through which fractions of the harvested material may beseparated, because feeding elements which feed the separated fractionsaway are difficult to accommodate in that region, they would spatiallyinterfere with the frame, axle, gearboxes, brakes and the like.

[0011] To ease the flow of harvested material from the discharge zone ofthe feeder house into the feeding opening of the rotor housing, it issuggested that the circumference of the rear rotating element of thefeeder house projects into the upper half of the front of the rotorhousing. Furthermore, the feeding, opening, of the rotor housing issurrounded by a sheet metal which projects over the width of the feederhouse, and the form of the sheet metal is adapted to the circumferentialshape of the rear rotating element. In general, the radial circumferenceof the rear rotating element of the feeder house partially cuts into theupper half of the rotor housing along a curved line in a cross-sectionalview, and the circumferential shape of the separation rotor is adaptedtowards the circumference of the rear rotating element in the space ofthe feeding opening of the rotor housing in a way so that they do notinterfere with each other. By these measurements, an additional feederdrum may be saved. In a preferable arrangement, there are only tworotating elements arranged inside of the feeder house: one frontrotating element and one rear rotating element. The front rotatingelement may have a greater diameter than the rear rotating element. Theshape of the floor of the feeder house may partially be adapted to thecircumferential shape of the front rotating element, the rear rotatingelement or even both, to improve the feeding action the rotatingelements apply upon the harvested good.

[0012] Further features and advantages of the present invention, as wellas the structure and operation of various embodiments of the presentinvention, are described in detail below with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Reference is now made more particularly to the drawings whichillustrate the best presently known mode of carrying out the inventionand wherein similar reference characters indicate the same partsthroughout the views.

[0014]FIG. 1 is a side-view upon a self-propelled combine harvester.

[0015]FIG. 2 is a side view upon the combine harvester with certaininformation about the geometrical arrangement of the rotor housinginside of the combine harvester.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] A combine harvester 2 shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with a driver'scabin 4, an engine 6 with a cooling system 8, a front wheel 10 with arotational axis 12, a rear wheel 14, a cutterbar 16, and a feeder house18, which distributes the harvested material from the cutterbar 16 intothe feeding opening 20 of the rotor housing 22. Inside of the rotorhousing 22 there is arranged a separation rotor 24 which is rotatablydriven by driving elements 26, here shown as pulley drives, from thepower of engine 6. Seen along the rotational axis of the separationrotor 24 from the feeding opening 20 towards the dis-charge end 28 ofthe rotor housing 22, the front section of the separation rotor 24comprises auger blades 30 which approximately define the length of thefeeding zone where the harvested material is fed into the rotor housing22. The middle and rearward section of the separation rotor 24 isequipped with beater plates 32 which approximately define the length ofthe separation zone along the length of the rotor housing 22. It isnoted here that the tools for feeding the harvested material into therotor housing and threshing and separating the harvested material mayalso be different from auger blades or beater plates, they are mentionedhere just as examples. Of course an expert could also choose other toolswhich he is aware of and which serve his desired function. The bottomportion of rotor housing 22 comprises of sieve means 34, through whichgrain kernels and chaff may exit the rotor housing 22.

[0017] The sucking blower unit 36 sucks an air flow stream at leastthrough the sieve means into the separation zone of the rotor housing 22and from there towards the discharge zone 28 and out of the rotorhousing 22 and out of the combine harvester 2. Grain kernels which exitthe rotor housing 22 through the openings of sieve means 34 fall atleast partially on the grain collecting element 38 which guides thegrain kernels by gravitational forces towards the grain collecting auger40, which distributes the collected grain into a grain conveyor notshown, which feeds the grain into the grain tank 42. The air flow streamgenerated by the sucking blower 36 is moving through the intermediatespace between the sieve means 34 and the grain collecting element 38.

[0018] The inclined arrangement of rotor housing 22 and the separationrotor 24, which is arranged inside of rotor housing 22, by more than 30degrees towards the horizontal plane brings some advantages. First ofall, it reduces the speed of the harvested material inside of the rotorhousing towards the discharge end 28, so that it rotates inside of therotor housing 22 along a longer traveling path with more opportunitiesfor separating grain kernels. Due to the fact that the gravitationalforces are acting with more effect upon the heavier fractions of theharvested material like the grain kernels, they tend to move slowerthrough the rotor housing 22, which brings some separational effect uponthem in relation to the lighter fractions of the harvested material likestraw or chaff. An additional advantage is that the grain can becollected by simple grain collecting elements 38 and transported towardsthe collecting auger without any further driven elements. Also for usingthe second separation rotor 44 as a cleaning apparatus for the fractionof grain kernels and chaff which has exited the rotor housing 22, it isadvantageous to have an inclined arrangement of the rotor housing 22,because the air flow stream which is moving along the outer surface ofthe sieve means 34 towards the sucking blower unit 36 cannot suck thegrain kernels upwardly very easily due to their weight, so that theytend to fall either onto the grain collecting element 38 or into thesecond grain exit towards the second separation rotor 44.

[0019] The feeder house 18 contains at least two rotation elements, onefront rotating element 46 and one rear rotating element 48. The shape offloor 50 of the feeder housing 18 is partially adapted to thecircumference of the rotating elements 46,48. In the region where thearrow 20 points to the line which symbolizes the crosswisely arrangedcylindrical shape of the feeder house 18 which houses the rear rotatingelement 48 in the region of its discharge end, which also may be thefeeding opening of the rotor housing 22. The crosswisely arrangedcylindrical shape of the feeder house 18 cuts into the up-per half ofthe lengthwisely arranged substantially cylindrical shape of the rotorhousing 22. The rotating energy of the separation rotor 24,44 can betransmitted to subordinated elements, which is symbolized by arrow 52.

[0020] In FIG. 2 the total length TL and the total height TH of thecombine harvester 2 is indicated by arrows along the side view upon themachine. The total length TL is measured from the front end of thefeeder house 18 to the rear hood of the combine harvester 2. The totallength of the rotor housing 22 is indicated by the arrow RHL, and it ismeasured from the front wall of the rotor housing 22 towards thedischarge end where the straw is exiting the rotor housing 22 towardsthe sucking blower unit 36.

[0021] If the rotor housing 22 is seen in a sideward cross-sectionalview not the lengthwise view as shown in FIG. 2 an upper half UH and alower half LH of the rotor housing 22 can be defined. It is noted thatthe upper and lower section is not necessarily cut into two equalhalves, the term “half” is here meant rather the way that there is anupper and lower portion of the whole rotor housing body. The feedingopening 20 is arranged in the upper half UH at the front end of therotor housing 22. If the total height of the combine harvester 2 isdivided into three sections, there are the upper third section UT, themedium third section MT and the lower third section LT. The front end ofthe rotor housing 22 is located in a region of the lower third LT of thetotal height TH of the combine harvester. The lower section LS of theshaft of the separation rotor 24 which reaches into the lower third ofthe total height TH of the combine harvester 2 is shown in a fat blackline, like the upper section US of the separation rotor 24 which reachesinto the upper third UT of the total height of the combine harvester 2.

[0022] As it can be seen in FIG. 2, the discharge end of the feederhouse 18 and the feeding opening 20 of rotor housing 22 is arranged in aheight substantially above of the distance H1 of the rotational axis 12of front wheel 10 from the ground. The discharge end of the feeder house18 and the feeding opening 20 of rotor housing 22 are also arranged in aregion before the rotational axis 12 of front wheel 10, this region isindicated by arrow R1. In general, it can be said that the discharge endof the feeder house 18 respectively the feeding opening 20 of rotorhousing 22 are arranged in a square whose position being defined byarrows H2, R1 in FIG. 2.

[0023] The rear of the rotor housing 22 reaches with its discharge end28 into a region which is located in a square defined by the arrowswhich indicate the rear half length LRH and the top height half THH.This square is shown in dotted lines, and it shows the top rear halfportion of the combine harvester 2.

[0024] With an arrangement as described it is possible to position therotor housing 22 in a combine harvester 2 in a way which keeps the totallength TL as short as possible, the length RHL of the rotor housing 22can be made as long as possible, and a satisfactory erection angle ofrotor housing 22 higher than 30 degrees can be achieved so that thegravitational forces can act upon the separation process in a favorableway.

[0025] If the rotor housing 22 is arranged in the combine harvester 2 asdescribed, it is possible to position the engine 6 in a location also inthe top rear half portion of the combine harvester 2 behind the rear endof the rotor housing 22. This is advantageous because the power of theengine doesn't need to be transported over long distances towards theseparation rotor 24, which saves costs and weight. The high arrangementof the engine also avoids that the cooling system sucks in too muchstraw which is blown out in a downward direction by the sucking blowermeans 36 and the blower of the second separation unit. The powernecessary to drive the cutterbar 16 and the feeding elements 46, 48arranged inside of the feeder house 18 or other working components orgenerators of hydraulic pressure or electrical energy may be transmittedby the shaft of separation rotor 24 or 44 from the rear to the front ofthe combine harvester 2. This saves additional drive train elements andit keeps the width of the combine harvester 2 slim. The PTO stubbleshaft of the separation rotors 24, 44 may be equipped with toothedwheels which transfer the rotating energy to subordinated shafts,hydraulic pumps, electric generators, gearboxes or the like. For thesake of simplified demonstration, the possibility of driving any othercomponents is indicated by arrow 52.

[0026] In the triangle defined by the upper half UH of the rotor housing22, the rear wall of the cabin 4 and the top margin of the combineharvester 2 is easy to accommodate the grain tank 42. If there is onlyone separation rotor contained in the rotor housing (two in aside-by-side arrangement are possible), the space of the grain tank 42may even reach downwardly along the sides of rotor housing 22, so thatthe grain tank 42 is designed as a saddle tank.

[0027] To achieve enough space to place the front end of rotor housing22 as low as possible, it is advantageous to avoid a rigid front axle ora crosswisely arranged beam of the machine frame in the region proximateto the front wheel. To drive the front wheels, small hydraulic orelectric motors can be placed next to each wheel so that one motordrives one wheel.

[0028] In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the severaladvantages of the invention are achieved and attained.

[0029] The embodiments were chosen and described in order to bestexplain the principles of the invention and its practical application tothereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the inventionin various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated.

[0030] As various modifications could be made in the constructions andmethods herein described and illustrated without departing from thescope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in theforegoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth andscope of the present invention should not be limited by any of theabove-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims appended hereto and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. Combine harvester with a separation unitcomprising a rotary driven separation into the rotor housing, aseparation zone with sieve means arranged in the rotor housing of saidseparation zone, a discharge zone which is located at the discharge endof the rotor housing and a sucking blower unit which sticks an air flowstream at least through the sieve means into the separation zone and thedischarge zone, and a grain collecting element arranged in some distancetowards the sieve means, all arranged such that a part of the air flowstream is sucked into the separation zone from the space between thesieve means and the grain collecting element, the rotor housingcontaining the separation rotor being arranged in the combine harvesterin a way that the longitudinal axis of the rotor housing and theseparation rotor is erected by an angle of more than 30 degrees from itsfront end to its discharge end, characterized in, that a feeder housewhich comprises elements which distribute harvested material from thecutterbar in an up-and rearward direction towards its discharge end,said discharge end being arranged in a height substantially above of therotational axis of the front wheel and in a region before the rotationalaxis of the front wheel, the discharge end feeds the harvested materialinto the feeding opening of the rotor housing of the separation unitbeing arranged in the upper half of it, whereby the rotor housingreaches with its front from a region before the rotational axis of thefront wheel and a lower third of the total height of the combineharvester to its rear being arranged in the top rear half portion of thecombine harvester.
 2. Combine harvester according to claim 1,characterized in that the circumference of the rear rotating element ofthe feeder house projects into the upper half of the front of the rotorhousing.
 3. Combine harvester according to claim 1, characterized inthat the feeding opening of the rotor housing is surrounded by a sheetmetal which reaches over the width of the feeder house, and the form ofthe sheet metal is adapted to the circumferential shape of the rearrotating element.
 4. Combine harvester according to claim 1,characterized in that the radial circumference of the rear rotatingelement of the feeder house partially cuts into the upper half of therotor housing along a curved line in a cross sectional view, and thecircumferential shape of the separation rotor is adapted towards thecircumference of the rear rotating element in the space of the feedingopening of the rotor housing in a way so that they do not interfere witheach other.
 5. Combine harvester according to claim 1, characterized inthat there is a front rotating element and a rear rotating elementarranged in the feeder house, and the harvested good is directlydistributed into the feeding opening of the rotor housing by the rearrotating element.
 6. Combine harvester according to claim 1,characterized in that the shape of the floor of the feeder house maypartially be adapted to the circumferential shape of the front rotatingelement, the rear rotating element or both.
 7. Combine harvesteraccording to claim 1, characterized in that there are no elementsarranged in the first fifth of the length of the rotor housing whichallow a separation of fractions of the harvested material.
 8. Combineharvester according to claim 1, characterized in that the engine ispositioned in a location in the top rear half portion of the combineharvester behind the rear end of the rotor housing.
 9. Combine harvesteraccording to claim 1, characterized in that the power necessary to drivethe cutterbar and the feeding elements arranged inside of the feederhouse or other working components or generators of hydraulic pressure orelectrical energy are transmitted by the shaft of separation rotor fromthe rear to the front of the combine harvester.
 10. Combine harvesteraccording to claim 1, characterized in that in the triangle defined bythe upper half of the rotor housing, the rear wall of the cabin and thetop margin of the combine harvester the grain tank is accommodated. 11.Combine harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that to drivethe front wheels, small hydraulic or electric motors can be placed nextto each wheel so that one motor drives one wheel.
 12. A combineharvester having a total height, a top rear portion, at least one frontwheel and a separation unit, the at least one front wheel including arotational axis, the separation unit at an angle of at least about 30°from a horizontal plane, the combine harvester comprising: a feederhouse having front and rear rotating elements which distribute harvestedmaterial in an up-and rearward direction towards a first discharge endof said feeder house, said first discharge end being arranged at a firstheight substantially above the rotational axis of the at least one frontwheel and in a region before the rotational axis of the at least onefront wheel; and a rotor housing having a feeding opening and a seconddischarge end, said feeding opening located adjacent to said firstdischarge end of said feeder house and arranged in a region before therotational axis of the at least one front wheel and a lower third of thetotal height, and said second discharge end being arranged in the toprear half portion.
 13. The combine harvester according to claim 12,wherein a portion of the rear rotating element projects into a frontupper half of said rotor housing.
 14. The combine harvester according toclaim 12, wherein a floor of the feeder house is adapted to acircumferential shape of the front rotating element.
 15. The combineharvester according to claim 12, wherein a floor of the feeder house isadapted to a circumferential shape of the rear rotating element.
 16. Thecombine harvester according to claim 12, wherein a floor of the feederhouse is adapted to a circumferential shape of both the front and rearrotating elements.
 17. The combine harvester according to claim 12,further comprising an engine located in the top rear half portion of thecombine harvester and behind the second discharge end of the rotorhousing.
 18. The combine harvester according to claim 12, furthercomprising means for driving the at least one front wheel.
 19. Thecombine harvester according to claim 12, further comprising: a driver'scabin having a rear wall; and a grain tank, said grain tank locatedadjacent said rear wall and contiguous to an upper half of said rotorhousing.
 20. A combine harvester having a total height, a top rearportion, at least one front wheel and a separation unit, the at leastone front wheel including a rotational axis, the separation unit at anangle of at least about 30° from a horizontal plane, the combineharvester comprising: a feeder house having front and rear rotatingelements which distribute harvested material in an up-and rearwarddirection towards a first discharge end of said feeder house, said firstdischarge end being arranged at a first height substantially above therotational axis of the at least one front wheel and in a region beforethe rotational axis of the at least one front wheel; and a rotor housinghaving a feeding opening with upper and lower halves and a seconddischarge end, said upper half of said feeding opening located adjacentto said first discharge end of said feeder house and arranged in aregion before the rotational axis of the at least one front wheel and alower third of the total height, and said second discharge end beingarranged in the top rear half portion.